Elastic gas-tight connection, especially for boiler parts



ELASTIC GAS-TIGHT CONNECTION, ESPECIALLY FOR BOILER PARTS Filed April 15, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mil [M704 5 Karl Bicken back ur t Hesse ber- Friedrich Hdsken y 2, 1967 K. BICKENBACH ET AL 3,316,885

ELASTIC GAS-TIGHT CONNECTION, ESPECIALLY FOR BOILER PARTS Filed April 15, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 lurz-wmp 5 Kart K's/(en acl; Kurt Hesseler y 1967 K. BICKENBACH ET AL 3,316,885

ELASTIC GA$-TIGHT CONNECTION, ESPECIALLY FOR BOILER PARTS Filed April 15, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 WVENTU/QS: Kar Bickehbach Kur Hesseler' Friedrich H sbn May 2, 1967 K. BICKENBACH ET AL 3,316,885

ELASTIC GAS-TIGHT CONNECTION, ESPECIALLY FOR BOILER PARTS Filed April 15, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 EX 5a If: i: I

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karl Bl'cken baa/ Kurt Hesseler' .FP/edrich Hdgke United States Patent 3,316,885 ELASTIC GAS-TIGHT CONNECTION, ESPECIALLY FOR BOILER PARTS Karl Bickenbach, Karlskamp, near Gummersbach, Kurt Hesseler, Gummersbach, and Friedrich Hiisken, Mittelagger, Germany, assignors to L. & C. Steinmuller G.m.b.H., Gummersbach, Rhineland, Germany Filed Apr. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 448,468 priority, application Germany, Apr. 16, 1964,

St 21,977 4 Claims. (Cl. 122-6) The present invention relates to an elastic gas-tight connection, especially for boiler parts, and particularly in connection with the building up of pipe walls. The manufacture of gas-tight boiler installations causes difficulties inasmuch as the individual parts are liable, due to the fact that they are subjected to different temperatures, to change their dimensions in operation to different degrees. As long as the temperature difference and thus the change in the length of adjacent parts is minor, for instance in adjacent pipes of a pipe wall, it is admissible rigidly to connect the pipes to each other directly or through the intervention of fins. However, in all instances in which the. different heat expansions are so great that a rigid connection might, due to local stress peaks, cause tears or undesired deformations, it is necessary to find other ways and means of interconnecting adjacent boiler parts I It is known to make outer walls of waste heat boilers of corrugated sheet metal. In this way, heat expansions in one direction, viz. perpendicular to the corrugations or waves will be absorbed by a simple deformation of the wall. However, heat expansions in the longitudinal direction of the corrugations or waves cannot be absorbed with this type of structure. It is necessary that the walls can freely expand in the longitudinal direction of the corrugations or waves.

Furthermore, a gas-tight sheet metal facing or covering for steam producers has become known according to which the individual panels are beveled and welded to each other along the butts whereby folds are created between the panels, which folds are adapted to absorb heat expansions, Where vertical and horizontal folds abut each other, so called fold compensators are provided which are supposed to also absorb diagonally effective stresses.

However, none of the above-mentioned suggestions and structures permit a proper connection of two adjacent parts with considerably different length expansions, in other words, parts the individual elements of which move relative to each other in the direction of adjacent edges.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an elastic gas-tight connection, especially for boiler parts, which will overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks.

It is another object of this invention to provide an elastic gas-tight connection, especially for boiler parts, which will permit the elements to be interconnected to move relative to each other in the direction of adjacent edges.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a section through two pipes connected to each other by a trough-shaped sheet metal strip in conformity with the present invention, said section being taken along the line II of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 represents a section through two pipe walls Claims interconnected by a trough-shaped sheet metal strip in conformity with the present invention;

FIGURE 3a is a section similar to that of FIGURE 3 but differing therefrom in that the interconnected pipes are provided with fins;

FIGURE 4 shows two elbows connected by a sheet metal strip in conformity with the present invention;

FIGURE 5 is a section taken along the line V-Vof FIGURE 4.

The elastic gas-tight connection according to the present invention consists of a corrugated sheet metal strip having its longitudinal edges welded to the respective adjacent boiler parts. Any relative movements of two adjacent boiler parts are in this way absorbed elastically. The corrugated connecting element is able to follow the local as well as longitudinal changes of the individual parts without conveying this movement directly onto the adjacent part.

By interconnecting individual pipes by corrugated sheet metal strips having their edges welded to the pipes, it is possible to build up entire pipe walls for steam producing installations.

In order to be able to obsorb longitudinal expansions perpendicular to the pipe axes, according to a further development of the present invention, the metal strips are bent into trough shape. The depth of the stifiening corrugations, and the radius of curvature of the connecting element may be varied in conformity with the ex pansions to be expected in longitudinal direction and transverse thereto. Such metal strips are particularly well suitable for the connection of two pipe walls which abut each other at an angle. Also parallel elbow sections can be interconnected in conformity with the present invention, while the corrugations or waves of the intermediate zone are stretched me somewhat greater extent than the outer zones.

When building up pipe walls in conformity with the present invention, it may be advantageous to design the individual pipes as fin-equipped pipes. The connecting metal strips will then be welded to said fins. The elastic connection according to the present invention is primarily intended for but not limited to the building up of pipe walls. Thus, for instance, the present invention may also be used in connection with sheet metal facings or coverrngs.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show two pipes 1 and 2 which are interconnected by a trough-shaped corrugated metal strip 3 which has its longitudinal edges 4 and 5 respectively welded to pipes 1 and 2. The height a of a complete wave, i.e. the distance from the deepest point of the valley to the highest point of the crest of the wave, is clearly visible from FIG. 1 and extends substantially uniformly over the entire width. Said distance a may amount, for instance, to 1 centimeter with a radius r of 5 centimeters and a thickness of the metal sheet of 0.1 centimeter and a thickness of the pipes of 0.4 centimeter.

FIG. 3 shows an arrangement according to the present invention in which the end pipes 1 and 2 of two pipe walls W and W1 are interconnected by a trough-shaped metal strip 3 corresponding to metal strip 3 of FIGS. 1 and 2 and having its longitudinal edges 4 and 5 respectively welded to pipes 1 and 2. End pipes 1 and 2 are connected to the respective adjacent pipes 6 and 7 of walls W and W1 respectively by intermediate members 8 and 9 respectively welded to the adjacent pipes 1, 6 and 2, 7. However, it is also possible to eliminate the intermediate members 8, 9 if the pipes 1, 2 are provided with fins, as shown in FIG. 301. These fins may be produced by rolling or pressing.

FIG. 4 shows the present invention in connection with two elbows or arched pipes 1a and 2a. More specifically, pipes 1a and 2a are connected by an arched troughshaped corrugated sheet metal member 3a having its longitudinal edges 4a welded to pipes 1a and 2a. With the arrangement of FIG. 4, the intermediate zone of the corrugated metal strip shown in FIG. 1 forms the outer corrugated peripheral area 10, while the longitudinal welding edges 4 and S are located along an arch which is farther inward than the peripheral Zone 10. The length of the outer arch over the inner arches 4a is compensated for by flattening the waves in the outer arch.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular structures shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, instead of a corrugated metal strip also a similar element, for instance a metal strip with folds therein, may be employed.

What we claim is:

1. An arrangement for steam producing installations, which includes: a first tubular member, a second tubular member arranged near said first tubular member and extending in the same longitudinal direction thereof, and a corrugated trough-shaped sheet metal strip having its cor- :rugations extending in the transverse direction of said first and second tubular members and having its longitudinal edges respectively welded to said first and second tubular members along corrugated lines, the trough formed by said sheet metal strip extending in the longitudinal direction thereof and having its longitudinal edges located substantially at the welding seams respectively connecting said first and second tubular members to said sheet metal strip.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, which said tubular members and said corrugated trough-shaped sheet metal strip are curved.

3. A pipe wall system for steam producing installations, which includes: a first group of tubular members and a second group of tubular members, said two groups being arranged at an angle and in spaced relationship to each other, each of said groups including means for interconnecting the tubular members thereof, and a trough-shaped corrugated sheet metal member having its longitudinal extension in the direction of the longitudinal extension of said groups and having its longitudinal edges welded to the respective adjacent tubular members of said two groups along corrugated lines while said longitudinal edges are located substantially at the welding seams respectively connecting said first and second tubular members to said sheet metal strip, the corrugations of said corrugated sheet metal member extending in a direction transverse to the longituinal direction of said sheet metal member.

4. A pipe wall system according to claim 3, in which said first and second tubular members are equipped with fins, and in which the longitudinal edges of said sheet metal strip are welded to the adjacent fins of said tubular members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1930 Forssblad 122235 2/1939 Lucke 122-235 OTHER REFERENCES CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR STEAM PRODUCING INSTALLATIONS, WHICH INCLUDES: A FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER, A SECOND TUBULAR MEMBER ARRANGED NEAR SAID FIRST TUBULAR MEMBER AND EXTENDING IN THE SAME LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION THEREOF, AND A CORRUGATED TROUGH-SHAPED SHEET METAL STRIP HAVING ITS CORRUGATIONS EXTENDING IN THE TRANSVERSE DIRECTION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TUBULAR MEMBERS AND HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES RESPECTIVELY WELDED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND TUBULAR MEMBERS ALONG CORRUGATED LINES, THE TROUGH FORMED BY SAID SHEET METAL STRIP EXTENDING IN THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION THEREOF AND HAVING ITS LONGITUDINAL EDGES LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE WELDING SEAMS RESPECTIVELY CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND TUBULAR MEMBERS TO SAID SHEET METAL STRIP. 